Mum’s Not The Word

[dc]W[/dc]hat if we lived in a world where the word — abortion — didn’t come with heaps of controversy, guilt and judgment? If such a world existed, we’d be more apt to see both sides of the coin, and with an unbiased clarity of sight, we might better understand that many women who choose to have abortions are actually unaffected by the controversial moral issues that politics and religion make us ever aware of. These women are without guilt because they don’t see abortion as something to be guilty over, nor do they see their own actions as criminal — or up for anyone’s judgment. For this type of woman, her decisions are hers to make, and hers alone. To the world she says, “It’s my body, and that makes it none of your business.”

And I’m going to be brutally honest — the concept that abortion is always a hard decision to make is untrue. There are women who don’t think twice; it’s what they have to do. They don’t get caught up in what ‘you’ think. And if terminating a pregnancy — for whatever reason — is something that they’ve determined as an absolute necessity, then… abortion it is. No looking back.

Conversely, the choice to abort a child before it’s term can also be extraordinarily traumatizing for another woman; her emotions may range from conflicted reserve all the way through intense dread to unspeakable guilt. Depending upon the situation, she may feel all alone and possibly unable to reach out for support from friends or loved ones. One thing we’ve all learned about abortion is that — no matter what feelings may come up — it’s somewhat of a lonely road; it rarely comes with a cheerleading society.

But lonely or not, that road leads somewhere and that somewhere is hopefully to a safe and welcoming environment where the abortion will be performed by a sympathetic, caring and skilled physician.

You want to look for a place that has been providing complete women’s health care for more than 20 years — including abortion. You want board certified obstetricians and gynecologists that have many years of experience performing terminations of pregnancy. They are fully aware that it can potentially be an emotional rollercoaster ride for the patient, and with that in mind, they strive to bring comfort to an otherwise stressful situation.

There are several methods of abortion offered, and you will want to ask your gynecologist about these options. The Abortion Pill, a.k.a. Mifiprex, is administered in the office, with a follow up dose that can be taken at home. It is prescribed to terminate pregnancy up to 49 days after the beginning of the latest menstruation. The Morning After Pill, or EC (Emergency Contraception) is also available. This method is intended for use after unprotected sexual intercourse, or if the primary method of birth control has failed (a ruptured condom) — and it must be taken within 72 hours. The third method is surgical abortion, which can provide termination well into the second trimester. A first trimester termination can be performed within five to ten minutes, with recovery time lasting sometimes less than an hour. A second trimester termination may require a two or three day procedure.

And, of course, because every woman comes with her own emotional standards, counseling is offered in a warm and caring atmosphere where individual attention is given to every patient to ensure their privacy.

When a woman makes a decision to have an abortion, the only thing that matters at that point is her safety and wellbeing. Keywords: board certified, experienced, compassionate, private, sympathetic, immaculate…choice.